


Lifeblood

by maiaronan



Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: F/M, Tumblr: forsurvivals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-28
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-04-11 17:17:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4445006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maiaronan/pseuds/maiaronan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if not everyone had survived the Indominous rex? An alternate ending to Jurassic World.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lifeblood

**WARNING: Major character death, blood.**

Claire could barely hear herself over the screeching, roaring dinosaurs mauling each other about two feet away and her panicked, wheezing breath as she forced herself to keep her muscles tense, keep a look out for any stray glass, debris, teeth, _overgrown lizards_ that might come flying their way— 

_“Birds,” Owen would always correct her. “Not lizards.”_

Claire didn’t have a clue why she was thinking of Owen at a time where she could literally be ripped to shreds in seconds if she wasn’t careful. 

Owen. He was on the other side of the visitor center, behind his swarm of raptors, with his gun loaded and ready to fire. She could see the top of his head ducking in and out of the giant amber display as reloaded his gun.

The raptors went skidding under the Indominous rex’s foot. 

Claire could hear Gray muttering something under his breath in the corner of the gift shop. 

“We need more,” she heard his timid voice cut through her labored breathing. 

She snapped her head to throw him a confused look. “More _what_?” 

“Teeth,” Gray replied as Zach held him closer. “We need more teeth.”

The Indominous rex roared again and Claire felt like her insides were going to tumble out. 

_More teeth_? What was this kid going on about? Claire’s mind started whirring and clicking. Claire had often heard from Karen that Gray was a certified little genius, but she’d never realized how true it was until that very moment.

Gray was right. There was no way two raptors and Owen’s tiny shotgun could take down the monstrosity that was destroying the park with a single lash of her tail. The two other raptors were down. Claire would rather die than have her nephews face the Indominous rex. 

Owen took another shot. The giant in front of him roared in fury as the bullet bounced off of her like a ping pong ball. This was bad. Well, that was the understatement of the century. They were all going to die. Claire, Owen, the kids, the raptors, every single person on the island... Claire had to do something. Anything.

_More teeth_ , she thought to herself, her hands shaking. 

Then she got an idea. 

Not the most brilliant, well-thought-out idea, but an idea nonetheless. Which was better than anyone else was fairing in this situation.

The Indominous rex roared again.

_What, are you insane, Claire Dearing?!_ her inner monologue screamed. She shook her head. The goal was to survive through this disaster, not let more giant man-eating monsters loose on this island. 

But maybe...

Still struggling to catch her breath, Claire staggered to her feet and dug open the First Aid box that hung from the side of the shop. She took out a signal flare and removed the phone hanging beside it, clutching them as tightly as she could in grimy, sweaty hands. 

She shot a glance behind her shoulder. The raptors and the Indominous rex was still battling it out. Where was Owen? She couldn't even see him. Dear God. Maybe this was a bad idea after all.

There was no time to stall. The raptors couldn't hold the Indominous rex off for much longer. 

Claire quickly glanced at her feet. She had managed to survive all those hours in her corporate heels, miraculously. She knew how to wear them like a second skin, but even she knew that they stood little chance against what she was about to do.

Claire looked back at her nephews, who were shaking in the corner with wide eyes and open mouths.

"Zach, Gray." They looked up at her. "No... Gray," she panted at the younger nephew. "I need your shoes."

"M-My shoes?" Gray stuttered as he hesitantly looked down at his black sneakers. 

"Yes!" Claire said, moving forward to untie them from his feet. "I need to wear them, okay? You stay here and don't move. Come on, help me switch, hurry!" One of the raptors behind them let out an ear-splitting screech the Indominous rex threw it into a fireplace. The box burst into flames. Claire winced as she heard her dying screech. The smell of burning flesh perfumed the heady air. That thing was going to keep going until it’d sliced them up into little bitty pieces. She gritted his teeth in dismay. 

“We don't have time to waste right now!”

Gray threw Zach an uncertain look. Zach crawled forward and pulled the shoelaces of the other shoe. "Do what Aunt Claire tells you to!" he said, yanking the shoe off of Gray's foot. He handed it to Claire, who had already jammed her foot into Gray's sneakers. They were a little tight, but they would suffice for the time being. She quickly laced up the other one and stood up, throwing her heels into the corner of the shop.

_Oh shit_!The massive tail went swinging towards Owen. He threw himself out of the way, right before it obliterated the giant piece of amber behind him, chunks of the stone flying.

Claire gasped audibly as she saw the last raptor disappear under the bloody jaws of the Indominous rex. 

She turned nodded to her nephews, more to reassure herself than them. "Okay so..." she whispered to them, the air catching in her throat. "You just wait here. It's going to be fine."

Zach and Gray nodded vigorously in their wide-eyed panic. 

Claire squeezed the flare in her hand. It was all or nothing. She took a deep breath to steady herself and vaulted over the counter of the shop. She pelted across the marbled floor of the visitor center and sprinted under the skeleton of the Spinosaurus, just barely missing a collision with the beast.

***

Owen watched in sheer terror as he saw Claire dash out of the wreckage—was she wearing Gray’s shoes?—and melt into the darkness outside. She was gone. Where the hell was she going? What the hell was she  _doing_? Had she left the kids in the shop all by themselves? Owen felt a flicker of irritation in his chest. She’d better come back for them. 

He sprinted across the center and threw himself into the shop. _Shhh_ , he signaled with a finger to his lips. The kids, with their pale, grimy, terrified faces, acknowledged him in silence. 

They heard the guttural growling of the Indominous rex behind them. Owen felt his heart beat into his throat. He turned his head just slightly enough to see the shadow of the dinosaur’s huge head cast itself over their little hideout in the shop. 

She lunged into the building. The walls shook as toys and souvenirs rained down on them. Gray and Zach let out a string of ear-piercing shrieks. Owen threw his arms over the boys as they backed up into the corner of the shop The Indominous rex’s giant clawed hand its way through the hole in the wall, reaching for them as it let out a snarl.

The boys screamed again as a giant claw came crashing down on the floor, just barely missing a limb. The hand retreated. Owen could see the dinosaur pulling her claw back again for another attempt. 

It flew in and hooked onto Gray’s belt, dragging the little boy towards her. Owen and Zach instinctively grabbed his shoulders and held on for dear life. Gray’s face was covered in tears as he struggled against the brute strength of that one glimmering, deadly claw. Owen could see the panic in his eyes as he no doubt saw his life flash before his eyes.

Zach, who’d been holding his breath for a solid three minutes, reached forward and tugged at the clasp until it broke free. Gray’s fanny pack went flying. He held Gray tightly as his little brother sobbed into his shoulder. 

The Indominous rex roared in fury as her giant jaw smashed the side of the drywall, making the hole larger. Debris flew everywhere. Gray curled up into a ball in the corner, screeching as Zach clung onto him. 

Without thinking, Owen moved in front of them, pressing their bodies between his and the back wall. He knew that she would not miss this time. 

The last thing he saw in that moment was that terrible, glistening black claw moving towards him with lightning speed. 

***

Claire threw the flare with all the force she could muster. It bounced off of the side of the Indominous rex. Good enough.

The T-Rex behind her directed a thundering roar at the newcomer. The Indominous rex turned slowly, looking confused for once in her life. Then, her giant, glassy eyes returned to its murderous state. She screamed at her competition, letting out the loudest roar Claire had ever heard in her life. The windows shook. The ground cracked under their stomping feet. It was pure, utter chaos.

The two monstrous beasts charged at each other. Claire ducked as everything in the building went flying towards her. Trying to catch her breath after running what’d felt like a marathon, she staggered towards what remained of the gift shop. _The boys. Owen_.

“Aunt Claire!” she heard Gray scream as his little blonde head popped out from inside the huge hole in the drywall. “Aunt Claire!” 

Oh no. Claire tasted bile rising in her throat. Gray’s face was smeared with tears and… blood? Blood?! 

Claire forgot the fatigue that was stinging in her bones and made a mad dash towards the shop, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. _No_. She grabbed Gray and lifted him out. “Zach!” she demanded, terror rising in her voice. “ _Zach_!” 

She let out a wheeze of relief as her nephew’s sweaty face appeared from the darkness of the shop. “Zach,” she breathed. “Thank God. Get out. Now. Come here.” She extended her hand, panting in exhaustion as she supported herself with her other hand on her knee. 

One of the dinosaurs landed on the floor. The entire building shook. Everything smelled like blood and flesh. 

Zach’s voice trembled as he flashed her a look of absolute horror. “Help…” His voice broke, fear mangling his usually-sullen face. “Owen… He needs help…”

Claire’s temples throbbed. “Zach, here, now” she commanded sharply, whipping around and grabbing Gray. Gray squealed in pain as her nails dug into his skin. “You take your brother and run. Run as fast as you can. Try to head for the control center, but remember to stay safe.” Zach’s lip trembled. “ _Now!_ ” Claire yelled, pointing a finger at the gaping hole in the visitor center that lead to the outside. 

Zach scrambled to his feet and snatched his brother up by the arm. The two ran out of the visitor center without giving her a second glance.

A muffled moan of pain came from the interior of the gift shop. 

“Oh… Owen… Oh no…” Claire whispered as she climbed into the space. “No… We need to get you out of here.”

“Claire…?” It was Owen’s voice. He sounded strained. She could smell the salty tang of blood hitting her senses. 

“Shhh…” Claire reached out and found his warm body lying on the floor. She hooked her arms under his. “I’m so sorry.” She could feel tears of panic and pain forming in the corner of her eyes.

The dinosaurs had gotten closer. She whipped her head back to see that one of the raptors, who had somehow miraculously survived the damage, had joined the fight. They had to move. 

Owen was heavy. Claire gritted her teeth in concentration as she hauled him out of gift shop and onto the marble floor outside. She forced herself not to scream as his body came into sight under the silvery moonlight. 

A gash ran from his throat down to his stomach, bubbling, welting blood. His clothes were splattered dark red, his fingers stained as he clutched his chest, gasping in pain. Claire’s vision blurred. She told herself not to think, don’t think about it, _don’t think Claire, focus, focus on moving, get us somewhere away from here_ …

There was no other way to move Owen’s twitching body except to drag him across the floor. Moving as fast as she could, her muscles screaming in pain, Claire ducked out from behind the gifts shop and made a beeline towards a broken window. She attempted to lift Owen as best as she could as she clambered through the window with his body trailing behind her. He protested, she apologized, but she knew she could not carry him. 

They were out in the outdoors now. She could see Zach and Gray’s footprints, sneaker prints and Gray’s bare feet, leading deep into the forests of Isla Nublar. 

The dinosaurs crashed out of the visitor center and continued biting and slashing at each other, stumbling backwards towards the lake. Claire leaned down and slung Owen’s arm over her shoulder. “Can you try to stand?” she murmured to him, her voice shaking with fear. Owen squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. He grabbed onto her waist and stumbled upright. “Easy…” Claire felt his face brush into her shoulder as he slumped forward. “Just move your feet a little bit as I walk,” she told him. Claire took in another deep breath to steady herself as she walked as fast as she could away from the disaster area.

Low-hanging tendrils of exotic plants and thorny shrubs scratched at her arms and legs as she whacked her way through the jungle. Claire prayed and hoped to God that whatever was happening back there, the Tyrannosaurus was winning. She couldn’t afford to have both the raptor and the T-Rex mauled by the I-Rex and then have her discover them in the woods as dessert. 

Claire kept pushing through the thick undergrowth, completely blinded by the smothering darkness, feeling Owen’s body thumping as they traveled over tree roots and pebbles, only stopping when she couldn’t hear the snarls and screeches of the dinosaurs behind them. Only her labored breathing and the shrill rings of crickets and frogs in the night. 

She reached over and cautiously felt Owen’s body until she found his pant pockets. She knew he carried a little flashlight with him wherever he went—ah, there it was. She clicked it on and a blinding flood of light illuminated the trees around her. She winced, squinting at the shadows cast by the flashlight. She saw a clearing a few feet away from them.

Heaving, she approached the grassy area and set Owen on the ground. She hadn’t heard a word from him since they started their trek into the woods. Was he dead? She squeezed her eyes shut and hoped with all her might that he’d survived the bumpy road behind them. 

Claire heard Owen let out a rattling exhale as he lay on the ground. Oh thank God, he was still alive.

“Hey,” she said softly, getting on her knees after setting the flashlight down in between them. She pushed the sweaty, bloody hair off of his forehead. “Owen… Oh my God, Owen…” She kept repeating his name, over and over, hoping that it would bring both of them some comfort. She heard her voice trail off as tears leaked out the side of her eyes. “Here, we have to stop the bleeding… Just hang tight, okay?” She took off the dirty jacket that’d been hanging from her waist for the last six hours and folded it into a rectangle. She placed it over Owen’s wound and dabbed gently. He winced and flinched away from her. 

“I’m sorry,” Claire said to him as she tried to mop up as much of the blood off of his chest as possible. She bit her lip in concentration as she made her best attempt to avoid his injury. “I’m so sorry… I should’ve… been faster…” She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling salty tears trailing into her mouth. “This is my fault.”

She felt Owen’s shaking hand rest gently on her own. “It’s not,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “Don’t… Think…” He coughed. Blood trickled down the sides of his mouth. “It is.”

“Owen…” Claire said tearfully as she cupped his face with her free hand. His unshaven skin was comfortingly scratchy against her palm. He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes and resting his lips against the side of her hand. “You never call me Owen,” he murmured into her hand. 

Claire stroked his face lightly with her thumb as she pulled out the mobile phone, which she still had tucked into the back of her pants, and dialed for Lowery.

“Lowery.” She didn’t even give him a chance to respond after he picked up. “You need to send a medical team out here ASAP. I… I don’t know exactly where I am… but I’m somewhere in the forest near the visitor center.” She struggled to regain control of her voice. “Owen’s in… critical condition. I think…” She paused. “I think the Indominous is dead. Watch out for the T-Rex though. And my… my nephews. I told them to try to find the Control Center so please wait there for them and keep them safe until we get all… all this sorted out…” She inhaled sharply as Owen groaned in pain underneath her. “Got it?”

“Y-Yeah,” Lowery stuttered from the other end. “I don’t know how fast any of the medical teams will dispatch though… Any and all that we have are with the injured guests.”

“Owen is dying,” Claire hissed into the phone. “You make sure at least one team knows that _this is their top priority_. I can’t get him to you without possibly killing him from blood loss so you get here _pronto_.” She hung up with a frustrated click.

She sighed and sunk into the peaty ground, feeling the softness of the dirt cushion her weight. She lay herself down next to Owen, pressing her body close to his. He felt frighteningly cold against her flushed, sweaty body. 

She wrapped her bloodied jacket around his shoulders, careful to avoid the wound, and propped herself up with her elbow to watch over him. His eyes were barely open, but she could see a faint flicker of life through his half-closed lids. Breathing shallowly, Claire couldn’t help but imagine that she’s simply lying there and watching the lifeblood draining out of the energetic, playful, always-charming Owen Grady, and she was absolutely powerless to help him. 

“I was right,” Owen murmured to her as she reached over to comb her fingers through his hair, “about you. I always knew you could kick ass.” He winced in pain as he shifted on the grass.

Claire tilted her head and felt like her heart was breaking and mending simultaneously. She blinked back tears. “And I was wrong about you,” she whispered, her throat painfully dry. 

The faintest of smiles appeared on Owen’s face. “Do you know when I first fell in love with you?”

Claire’s eyes widened. “What?” she whispered.

“The first time I took you out to see the dino compost pile,” Owen continued between labored breathing, “and you opened the lid, and said ‘holy shit’”. He started to laugh, but was quickly cut short by a fit of painful coughs. Blood splattered onto her jacket.

Claire reached over and pressed her hand against his shoulder. “Hey, take it easy,” she said softly, trying to steady her nerves. He was not looking good. The color had already drained from his face, leaving him stark white against the dark earth of the forest floor. “You’re in a lot of pain right now. Don’t strain anything, alright?”

Owen sighed and let his muscles loosen. He closed his eyes and remained quiet for so long that Claire almost panicked and thought he had died there and then. Then he opened them again, his stare glassy, his chest barely moving as he felt around for Claire’s hand. Claire grabbed it and held on as tight as she could. 

He turned to look at her. Claire’s breath caught in her throat as she gazed back at him. Owen always had such expressive eyes. He was laughing, loving, thinking with them still. Claire felt as if she couldn’t possibly produce any more tears from her dehydrated body, but here she was, unable to stop another torrent from pouring down her face. 

“I’m glad you don’t hate me, Claire,” was all Owen said as his grip started to loosen on her hand.

Claire squeezed his hand, panicking. “Oh no, no…of course.. I never hated you,” she whimpered, moving closer to him. She leaned down slowly and rested her forehead on his, staring into his eyes as they lit up with pleasure at their close contact. “I can’t… I can’t believe you thought that.” She sniffled, but smiled through her tears. “If you only knew… How much I wanted to tell you… how much I didn’t hate you.” She let out a little laugh as she saw Owen smile again. 

Owen took a deep breath, tilting his chin upwards ever so slightly. Claire felt his lips brush her jawline. She shivered in the night air as he let them linger there. She closed her eyes and relished the sensation, squeezing his hand again to indicate her appreciation. 

He hummed, but didn’t say anything else. He closed his eyes again. Claire watched as his breathing slowed. His grip on her hand had completely loosened, but she didn’t dare let go. 

Claire couldn’t even fathom that Owen Grady, the fearless raptor trainer on a motorcycle, the smart mouth who constantly pushed her to be better at her job, who challenged her in ways that opened up her tiny world to something bigger, _her_ Owen, could ever die. 

Every once in a while, she’ll see his chest rise and fall, and she’ll feel a sickening sense of relief wash over her. She leaned over to give him a tender kiss on the forehead. He shifted under her, but made no other indication that he was still conscious. 

The night went on. There was no movement in the forest, aside from the bugs that swarmed above her and the crickets that continued their deafening calls. 

Claire must’ve fallen asleep at some point, because she had no recollection of a few hours in between holding Owen’s hand and waking up to see a pale, stony face beside her. She was groggy, all her muscles felt like a million pins stabbing her insides, but she was jolted awake when she realized that Owen was no longer breathing.

Scrambling, she placed two fingers on his neck, his wrist, anywhere, to find a pulse. 

_No_.

Claire let out a sob, feeling the most excruciating pain she’d ever felt settle in her lungs and stomach and setting all of her nerves on fire. She covered her mouth with her hands and bit into her palm to stop herself from wailing. She tasted the blood she drew from her own flesh and let her mind blur into a confusing mass of anger, sorrow, and overwhelming guilt. She collapsed next to him, putting her arms around him and sobbing into his cold neck. He still smelled vaguely like Owen, like the aftershave he used everyday, like a park they used to run together, like a past she could never get back. 

She repeated his name over and over, hoping that maybe she was wrong, and maybe he was alive, and he’d wake up and kiss her again and this nightmare would be gone.

But he didn’t hear her.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… _Please don’t do this to me!_ ” she begged, pressing herself against him as much as she could. She let out a shaky exhale as her body continued to rack with sobs. “Owen…” she whispered tearfully. Her voice trailed off. There was no use. 

Claire screamed into the bloodstained folds of her jacket, not caring if a stray dinosaur might hear her and wander into the clearing to pick her off. She wanted to die. The last 24 hours of running, hiding, surviving the Indominous rex seemed like a century ago. She’d managed to avoid getting killed for this long, but there was no point to it anymore. 

There was a rustling in the bushes. She heard the snuffling of a large animal approach the clearing. The pebbles on the ground trembled beneath them as it walked towards her and Owen’s body. 

Claire curled up next to him and squeezed her eyes shut. _Come on._ She willed death to come swiftly. _Just let me die now_. 

Claire couldn’t even feel afraid. No, every vessel in her body was consumed by grief. Did it matter what it was? Probably a dinosaur. Attracted here by the smell of blood and carcass and her pained screams. Good. It would be over soon. If she could die the way Owen did, honorably, valiantly, all would be right in the world. 

A familiar trill brought her back to her senses. Claire let her eyes flutter open. Through her unfocused vision, she could see something she recognized by the dimming light of the flashlight on the ground. A dinosaur head had dipped down to sniff at them. A raptor’s head. 

“Blue,” Claire murmured weakly. Blue’s posture perked up at the sound of her name. She scuttled around them and sniffed Owen’s hair curiously. 

“Oh Blue,” Claire sighed, snuggling into the side of Owen’s cold body. “Look at what’s happened. You and I… we’re alive. But you had to watch all your sisters die too, didn’t you?” Blue blinked at her. 

The raptor let out a little squawk of protest as she nudged Owen with her foot. 

“Settle down, Blue,” Claire continued tiredly. “Settle down…”

She didn’t know if Blue knew that command or that she was simply tired from her exhaustive fighting, but she watched in amazement as the raptor lay down on the other side of Owen and curled her tail around her nose.

For the first time in her life, Claire saw a spark of life, of intelligence, glimmering behind the raptor’s huge amber eyes. It almost felt… compassionate. 

“I know,” Claire whispered as she let her tears mix in with the blood on Owen’s clothes. “I loved him too…” She let herself descend into a dreamless sleep. 

***

Claire awoke to the sound of a machine grinding, whirring, and beeping in the corner of a brightly-lit room. The light hurt her eyes. She winced.

She could feel scratchy sheets and a hard mattress under her back. She tried to push herself up with the back of her hand. A sour taste flooded her mouth.

“Claire!” It was Karen’s voice. “Oh my _God_ Claire!” She saw her sister jolt up from a beige chair across from her and dash over to her side, smothering her with a hug and sobbing into her hair. “Thank God you’re alright!”

Claire was frozen for a brief moment. She couldn’t react. All of her limbs were locked into place. She was still trying to get her mind to click, to process…

“Aunt Claire!” Gray popped up from behind a curtain. He had stitches on the bridge of his nose and bandaids all over his arms and legs. He rushed over and threw his arms around her, squeezing her as hard as he could. “Zach and I found the Control Center and Lowery and we called the medical team but they took so long to respond… We went out looking for you and—“

“Owen.” Claire could taste blood welling up at the back of her throat, cracking from the dryness. “Where’s Owen?”

Karen stepped back, and Gray loosened his grip on her. 

“Owen,” Claire repeated, louder, feeling a sense of deranged confusion and anger filling her veins. “Where the _hell_ is he?!”

Karen pressed a red button on the wall next to Claire’s hospital bed, reaching out to try to stop her from standing up. “Claire, lie back down, sweetie, you’ve been through a lot…”

Claire felt the tug of an IV cord on her wrist. Hot tears rushed down her face as she dug into her skin and tried to pull the device out. “Don’t touch me!” she screamed as Karen grabbed her wrists in an attempt to stop her. “If you won’t tell me where Owen is, I’m going to go look for him myself! Don’t you _dare—!”_

A nurse in blue scrubs rushed into her room. “Alright, Miss Dearing, we need you to calm down!”

Claire let out a frustrated noise and threw her bedsheets to the floor. “Get out of my way,” she growled as she lunged for the door.

She never made it. The nurse pressed a button on the side of her bed and the world went black.

_It was warm. So warm._

_Claire was entangled in the softest sheets she’d ever felt, a cool pillow under her cheek. The light streaming in through an open window illuminated the wonderfully decorated room a soft golden color. The breeze that drifted in smelled like pine needles and apples._

_It didn’t seem like she was wearing any clothes. Curious, but not uncomfortable. It didn’t feel like she needed any. There was a door to the room, but Claire was sure that nobody would be opening it._

_She turned to her side and was surprised to see Owen lying next to her, pressed up against her body, his heavy arm wrapped around her waist._

_Claire squealed as she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. “I had the worst nightmare,” she gasped, trembling as she felt his arms close in around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. “The Indominous rex escaped and the whole park had to be closed. You sent out your raptors after her and… I think my nephews were there too and we had to look for them. The Indominous managed to kill you.” She laughed, kissing his neck fervently. “Isn’t that just ridiculous?”_

_Owen didn’t say anything in response. He simply ran his hand down her back, sending shivers down her spine. Claire looked up at him and saw his smiling eyes gazing back down at her. Claire sighed, a sense of pleasure washing over her._

_“We had a date last night, right?” Claire yawned, her brow furrowing in confusion as she tried to recall last night’s events. There must’ve been a lot of tequila involved. She smirked. “I bet it was good if I’m waking up here. See, we can make it work. No board shorts. No itineraries. Maybe tequila.” She propped herself up with her elbow and blinked at Owen lovingly._

_There was a knock on the door to the bedroom. Claire swear she almost had a heart attack. Claire looked around wildly for her clothes. “Just one second!”_ Who could that possibly be? _Claire thought, irritated._

_She found a dress lying at the foot of the bed in a crumpled, disheveled pile. Funny, she didn’t remember wearing it last night. She didn’t even remember owning it. She quickly pulled it over her head and climbed out of bed._

_She crossed the room to answer the door._

_The moment her hand touched the doorknob, everything disappeared_.

Claire awoke for a third time. This time, she was nestled in the comfort of her own bed, surrounded by flowers, teddy bears, and cards. Prescription bottles were lined up neatly on her beside table.

**Author's Note:**

> Let Claire run in her heels, damnit.


End file.
